Ysbrydnos, Dunland, Night of the Spirits

Soon will begin the dark days. Sunset brings the first day of our New Year, and we celebrate summer’s end. When the sheep and cattle are brought down from the high pastures, when the lean times begin, is the time for Dunlendings to pause their strife and celebrate what we all can desire—survival of another year. 

On Thursday, October 31st, Dunlendings of all tribes are invited to The Hall of Sanctuary [72.1S, 16.1W] in the Lich Bluffs, a place of peace and plenty. Extremely uncommon in Dunland, travelers may be tolerated, but will be unwelcome—the Dunlendings have little use for trust in trying times. It is a challenge enough to keep peace with their own kin from different clans, let alone those who do not share in language and custom. The first bull of the season will be slaughtered for feasting, the cider will flow around, the fire of the new year will be lit, and the spirits honoured. All about there will be cheer. 

This evening of New Year is not without solemnity. It is also the time in which we remember our dead, a time when we believe the veil between them and the living is at its thinnest. The tombs the ancients from our tribes built in sacred, haunted groves align with the sun and stars on this day, as we align with the memories of ancestors. Around the Bardic Circle, stories will be told, songs will be sung, poems professed, to remind us of those we lost and how close their spirits remain. People from every tribe are welcome to share their tales, and the best among them will receive gifts worthy of a Brenin.